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Geographic Information Science
SaLIS Vol. 67, No. 3
September 2007
Editorial
Latitudes
Steve Frank Steve Frank, New
Mexico State University sfrank@nmsu.edu
This issue features a paper
from the NSPS Student Competition. The competition is between various
surveying/ geomatics programs in the U.S. (with
growing interest from students outside the U.S.). Each participating team
submits a research paper and participates in a field competition at the annual
ACSM conference. Last year’s competition theme was railroad surveying. The
winning team came from Ferris State University in Michigan, and we present
their paper titled “Railroad Surveying” in this issue of Surveying and Land
Information Science. Other articles include a paper by Pearson and Snay on “Horizontal Time-Dependent Positioning” which
discusses tectonic plate deformation measurements in California. Recent
earthquakes in California have shed some new light on the problem as outlined
in this interesting paper. We have an article by Potsiou
and Apostolatos about the legal and land management
issues involved in building the Olympic Games structures in Athens, Greece. We
have a preview of our next issue, which will include papers from the recent
North American Surveying and Mapping Teacher’s Conference at Ferris State
University. This preview comes in the form of a paper written by YaronFelus on the state of GIS
education in surveying. The author suggests some essential concepts to be
taught and offers examples of exercises to help deliver those concepts.
Finally, we bring another paper from the Fresno State student series of
boundary survey research papers. The paper explores the significance of maps in
determining boundary locations and was written by Jacqueline Luk. This is the first issue under a new arrangement with
out publisher, Sheridan Press, whereby the journal composition and page layouts
will be done by the printer. This should make it easier for authors submitting
their reviewed and revised papers for publication, as we should no longer need
to separate charts and drawings from text for page layout. Authors will also
have the opportunity to work directly with the printer on their figures and
other illustrative material.
Railroad Surveys: History and Curve Computations
Battjes, Nick; Caverly,
Krag; Ovans,
Nathan; Plooster, Nathan; Tyler, Mike
Railroads are an integral
part of the United States' infrastructure. From the early days of our Nation,
railroads have played a part in the development of our economy and the Nation
as a whole. Because so many railroads exist throughout the country, surveyors
must be familiar with how they were originally placed. Most surveyors will, at
one time or another, have to perform a survey that is affected by a previous
railroad survey. This paper provides an overview of the history of the United
States' railroad system, and then discusses the instruments and procedures used
to map and lay out railroads. Finally, the methods of calculating and laying
out simple and spiral curves are described.
Updating HTDP for Two Recent Earthquakes in California
Pearson, Chris; Snay,
Richard
This paper describes
revisions to the Horizontal Time Dependent Positioning (HTDP) software carried
out to address the motion associated with two recent California earthquakes. NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) developed HTDP to
enable its users to compensate survey measurements for the differential
movement associated with tectonic deformation, so that surveys conducted at
different epochs may be compared. We focus on the process of selecting and
validating models for two recent earthquakes in California, prior to their
inclusion in version 2.9 of this software (HTDP v2.9)—the Parkfield
earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0, which occurred on September 28, 2004, and
the San Simeon, California earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5, occurring on
December 22, 2003. The process of modeling and correcting for deformation can
be well illustrated by utilizing data collected in the vicinity of these
earthquakes, because they represent contrasting styles of deformation—Parkfield exhibited strike-slip motion and San Simeon was
predominantly a blind-thrust earthquake. Also, while both earthquakes were
relatively small, they produced significant displacements (though restricted to
a relatively small area in central California). The Parkfield
earthquake, in particular, produced an unusually high proportion of
post-seismic deformation. This deformation can accumulate during a period of a
few months after the earthquake, whereas co-seismic deformation occurs suddenly
during an earthquake. Quantifying and characterizing deformation at these
disparate time scales represents a major challenge to developing the accurate
models of deformation that are required to support modern, high-accuracy
surveying in tectonically active areas such as California. This study also
confirms the importance of including separate dislocation models of the
co-seismic and post-seismic deformation, because, as was the case for Parkfield, post-seismic deformation can be comparable in
magnitude to co-seismic deformation.
Legal Reforms for Land Management in Support of the
2004 Olympic Games in Greece and Infrastructure after the Games
Potsiou, Chryssy
A.; Apostolatos, Gerasimos
The 2004 Olympic Games
provided land management in Greece with a major experience in reformed legal
procedures and land policy principles. These refer to all general
infrastructure improvements made for the Games, but particularly to the
development of the new Olympic infrastructure which, in the post-Olympic era,
was to be used for a variety of athletic, cultural, and trade activities. The
permitting process for construction projects in Greece prior to the 2004
Olympic Games was a long and arduous process involving multiple agencies,
contradictory requirements, and land-use regulations hampering the objectives
of the Olympic Games. A comprehensive land-use regulation and procedural reform
was enacted prior to the Games. As a result of that reform, and due to
outstanding political cooperation and coordination in land-related activities
and construction projects, Greece managed to organize one of the most
successful Games in recent history. General infrastructure projects whose
construction had been pending for several decades were finished on time, and
most of the long-standing problems were dealt with successfully. Many of the
regulatory and procedural reforms enacted specifically for the Olympic Games
were adopted after the Games to facilitate the post-Olympic mixed-use
operations of the Olympic infrastructure. Prior to the Games, “mixed land-uses”
were not allowed in Greece, despite the efforts of previous governments to
change this policy. Several Olympic installations (such as convention,
athletic, and tourist) were planned for continuing operations with identical
land use after the Olympics, which created an oversupply of certain
infrastructure, while other land uses (such as thematic parks, academies for
applied arts, and commercial use) important to the Attica region and to the
other 2004 Olympic cities either were not planned at all or were included in
the plans without specific scientific study. This paper reports on a systematic
research of land management issues and legal reforms applicable for
constructing and operating Olympic Games infrastructure. A comparison of the
traditional procedures with the land development reforms put in place in Greece
for the 2004 Olympic infrastructure shows that there are certain benefits to
“event-led” development. We also researched the relevant legal reforms which
were approved by the Hellenic Parliament for inclusion in the government action
plan for sustainable future utilization of infrastructure built for Olympic
Games. Based on the research done, suggestions are presented for the
consideration by the planners of future Olympic Games.
Essential GIS Concepts in Surveying Education
Felus, Yaron A.
Recently, the Association of
American Geographers (AAG) in collaboration with the University Consortium for
Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) published the Geographic Information
Science and Technology (GIScience&T) body of
knowledge which lists a wide range of skills and concepts that comprise the
field of GIScience&T. In the following report,
this range of skills and concepts is reviewed and analyzed with respect to the
needs and requirements of surveying and geomatics
programs. These needs were evaluated on the basis of a survey conducted by the
Michigan Society of Professional Surveyors and by reviewing surveying
literature and program curricula. The analysis highlights seven GIScience&T concepts that are most essential for
surveying and geomatics programs. Two class projects
are presented to further explain and demonstrate how these essential concepts
can be taught.
A Perspectives on Boundary Surveying Articles
Crossfield, James K.
Years back, in one of my few
editorials as Chair of the SALIS Editorial Board I attempted to issue a
challenge to surveying, by stating that “Land surveyors are especially
encouraged to submit articles discussing boundary surveys, with special
emphasis on the legal issues involved or illustrated” (SALIS vol. 50 no. 1 (March
1990), p.3). Few heeded this request. Why? One may conjure up several possible
answers to these two questions. There is no need to list them all here. Perhaps
the most plausible explanation is that surveyors are so busy (and probably so tired
from overwork) that are physically unable to write legal articles for
professional journals. But there is a need for boundary issues to be discussed
and written because that is how a profession stays current and grows intellectually.
Because surveyors do not write about their work for professional journals,
perhaps people who will become surveyors (students) can be coaxed into doing
this instead. Surveying students at California State University, Fresno, have
been required to write legal boundary papers since 1989. Since then nearly 300
students have written a mandatory paper about boundary control legal
principles. Each student is required to develop a hypothesis (what they intend
to prove) and use case law, journal articles, and reference books as
references. Many of these papers have been exceptionally good. Chase Miller
wrote an article that proved that the physical monument controls over distances
and bearings. This article was published in the June issue of Surveying and
Land Information Science (vol. 67, no.2) Another outstanding paper from the
Fall 2006 Boundary Control and Legal Principles class is provided in this
issue. Jacqueline Luk suggests that maps and plats do
not have legal priority over surveys and field notes in determining boundaries.
Professional land surveyors are urged to read this article. If you think there
are omissions, or other issues need to be raised, then write a comment and
submit it to editor, Dr. Steve Frank sfrank@nmsu.edu.
Perhaps some professional dialog will be initiated. That would be good for the
profession.
The Importance of Maps in Determining Legal
Boundaries
Luk, Jacqueline
This paper explores the
importance of maps and plats in determining property boundaries. When called for
in a property description, maps and plats become a part of the description “as
much as if [they] were expressly recited in the deed itself.” Their
significance in establishing legal boundaries, however, depends on several
factors. These include the intention of the parties involved, the stability and
certainty of elements in the deed, and whether there is evidence of original
lines run on the ground. The relevancy of field notes will also be discussed.
Taken together, the concluding, legal principle is that maps generally do not
prevail over surveys and field notes in determining boundaries.
Review
of Recent Literature
Compiled by Mike & Mary Craymer
Editors’ Note: This is a collection of selected articles on geodesy, surveying and land
information systems published in English in other subject-related journals.
This information has been compiled from Tables of Contents in Geodesy, a free
Internet-based contents service for journals in geodesy. Because of space
constraints, coverage may not be complete for all journals. For more complete
coverage and information about TCG, article reprints and journal publishers,
visit the TCG web site at http://www.craymer.com/tcg/
Letter to the
Editor
Ref. SALIS,
June 2007
Dear Editor:
When I received your June edtion of our SALIS journal (on Nov. 3, 2007), two articles
caught my immediate attention: Michael Barry’s “Boundary Systems in
Post-Apartheid Urban Settlement in Cape Town” and James Crossfield’s
call for action, “A Perspective on Boundary Surveying Articles.” The property
boundary problems in South Africa, as described by Barry, are not unheard of
elsewhere. The average lay person, i.e., homeowner, always has high
expectations of the land surveyor. I doubt very much that any surveyor, let
alone “so-called community surveyors” with minimal training and scarce
available funding, is able to lay out property corners within 1 cm accuracy or,
better yet, with “no tolerance” at all! “Land grabbing” and stealing one’s
neighbor’s land by moving boundary monuments is an old tradition of greedy,
dishonest people worldwide. That’s why a hundred or more years ago, it was
mandatory for cadastral surveyors in Prussia/Germany to place either an
inverted wine bottle (empty, of course) or a vitified
clay pipe beneath each property monument, as witness. If and when a greedy
farmer sneaked out at night to move a stone bound a few feet over into his
neighbor’s land, he usually did not know about the secret underground witness
marker. When the surveyor came back out and dug it up, the culprit was caught
red-handed. It’s one way of keeping everybody honest. As we know, here in the
United States, we are still struggling to assign state plane coordinates to
property corner monuments. In the early 1980s, a well known ACSM member, Dr.
Kurt W. Bauer of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, was
actively engaged in the application of GIS to land parcel records. In 1983, the
National Research Council promoted a geodetic reference framework in its report
on “Procedures and Standards for a Multipurpose Cadastre.” I noticed that in
his paper, “Monuments vs. Distance and Direction,” Chase Miller did not address
the possibility of reliably coordinating property monuments, be they old or
new. Coincidentally, in the same issue of SALIS, Kurt Wurm
of New Mexico State University, reported on BLM’s Geographic Coordinate database. Although uncertainty
of the coordinates is still in the range of 10 to 13 ft., he is confident that
long-term continuous efforts will result in improving their reliability. With
some luck and perseverance they may even get it down to centimeter accuracy, I
think. Because Chase Miller is [or was] a student at California State
University, it brings me to Professor Dr. James Crossfield’s
challenge to land surveyors. He rightly deplores the obvious lack of articles
related to property boundary surveying. Prof. Crossfield
is kind to ascribe such lack to “tired and overworked” surveyors in private
practice. As long as I can remember, and that is a very long time, ACSM leaders
have encouraged, urged, exhorted, begged, and pleaded with land surveyors to
put in writing what they know so well. To no avail.
Very few, too few of us, will pick up a pen or push the E-mail button to share
our experiences and discuss issues—issues that may very well help our
profession and the next generation of professionals “to stay current and to
grow intellectually,” as Prof. Crossfield put it so
eloquently.